Neuronetics, Inc.
NeuroStar®
Solution:
The NeuroStar is a commercially available, FDA cleared, non-invasive, TMS treatment solution marketed for patients who suffer from severe depression.
Launched in October of 2008, the NeuroStar has quickly been 
regarded a significant innovation in its industry for the success stories it has fostered. It has received numerous awards and patents as well as having been honored with a prestigious Gold/Medical Device Excellence Award.
TMS or Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a significant breakthrough in the treatment of patients suffering from major depressive disorder, MDD. This affects some 4million + people in the US alone. The product produces magnetic pulses through a therapy coil that rests upon the head in a specifically targeted location of the dorso lateral pre-frontal cortex. The energy excites mood circuits within the brain and over the course of several short treatments, offers sufferers a chance to get their life back. This product picks up where drugs have failed and is helping sufferers do away with them altogether.
Neuronetics invited Juliana Design Group to join their development team back in 2008 and assist in the next generation design of the technology taking it from a clinical trial stage to one that would be commercially viable in a psychiatric setting. The biggest challenge we faced at the start was the need to devise a mechanical solution that would enable the 3.9kg treatment coil to float about the treatment zone of a patient while offering six degrees of motion. This would allow it to align optimally to a patient’s head while offering the operator the ease of use they sought.
Following this design exercise, an intense study of ergonomics and human factors requirements were undertaken that would contribute greatly to the overall size and physical design. The resulting design solutions created by an interdisciplinary team of skilled designers, engineers and doctors achieved significant milestones from an FDA clearance to many industry awards for technical achievement and design. To hear from patients who thanked us for what we designed and who were benefitting from the technology was the best reward of all. This was the most gratifying design project we have ever worked on and would like to thank the management team at Neuronetics for their faith and confidence in us for being a part of it.
Contributions
• Industrial Design
• Product architecture
• Component part design and engineering
• Usability research, testing and HF documentation
• Product graphics, marketing collateral
• Device labeling
Category: Medical
www.neuronetics.com
